Anode suspension and electrical connection



July 1952 K. T. VAN GSNES 2,603,596

ANODE SUSPENSION AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTION Original Filed Nov. 17, 1947 INVENTOR. f'fE/VA/ETH fikwa-s/vzs,

firroem: v.5.

Patented July 15, 1952 S PATENT OFFICE ANODEJSUSPENSION ANDELEGTRICAL. *CONNECTION- Kenneth T.-Vangsnes, San MarinmQa if:

,7 ation' Serial ynoi 'zsa ss, November '17,. 1947. This application Ma ,y- 29,. 1950,.SerialNo.165, 050

Continuation of applic "Thisinvention relates toa means for-suspending or mounting anodes. It hasbeen primarily designed for suspending an anode-in a'hot water heater and for purposes of clarity the invention will be f-described in relation thereto although it it susceptible of application --in' other analogous conditions. This application is a continuation application of.my application Serial No. 786,486, filedNovemher 17, 1947 (now abandoned) "In certain localities water 'conditions are such that: corrosion of hot water tanks. occurs-very rapidly. This rapid rate-of corrosion apparently is due to conditions favorable to the setting up of electrolytic action. This can be. corrected, orhat least modified' by positioning-within thetank an anodeiformed ofvmagnesium or amagnesium alloy. .Thetanks. employed forhot water heating. are-usually formed ofsteel and frequently: are galvanized with zinc- Magnesium being higher on the electron-chemical scale. than .either iron or. zinc..-may-;then function as ananoda. thewater in the tank serving: as an electrolyte betweentthe magnesium and the'sironorthe zincasethevcase may be. In installing-;an.-.anodeof this character in.=..a hotwate-r tankltLis desirableito suspend the. anodeirom the hot water outlet and it is highly-{important.thata good electrical connectlonibeestablished.betweena portion of the anode and. the walls. of the tank.

Amobject of. the present-invention-is to provlde ;a means -for easily installing. or. mounting the-anode in the: hot .water outletafrom thetank which wlll provide or establish the. desir ed electrical cqnnection therewith and-which is-so designed as'tto facilitate itsnapplicatlonv and removal fromthe; tank. In thecourse of time anodes of; hisacharacter, are consumed and themounting;;means= and c the remainder of. the; anode must. consequently,be-removed and replaced. In other v I, ions it may be, desirable to install an anode in -instal-le'd hot watertank. The improved munfi a-m a nabl -nq o 1y:,-ther moval of a usedanodebut'the, application of anew anode either as areplacement or as a new installation.

Withth .f e i aan t en bie a in n w. which wi emad z-mapifest v n'th f l ow detaileddescription v and specifically pointed out in the. appended. claims, reference is I had; to; the accompanying drawings for v an illustrative embodiment of the, inventionwherein:

Figure. 1 istaview in side elevation of a, con; ventional. hot water. tank illustrating the anode in. app ied position therein;

-Il i g.,2 vis a vertical'sectionthrough the; hot waterouflet from the tank;

2:Claims.. (Cl. 204 191) a or zonta l ciion t ke subst nially onih lin fl .l!P .1 i 2 i a ,hor eon a section take 1 s b tania r p n t 'll ne. -H ::ue 2:

5 i ica cti tak n substant a upon the line 5-5; upon- Fig. 3 ,and illustrating: he p t prior t the h vin abaen t ht ned into position;

Fig. 6 is a iew similar: partsafter having peen and" to F i la 'irai e cihe Fig; 7-is a view similar toF g.;6;illustrating a.

slightlygmo difiedjform of construction;

Referring to th aw mp e ing d win s wherein" la i rene hara ters de i llli similar parts throughout, I 0 indicates a 'hot water heater the n b whi h, t mate v lama? be formed of steel and which may. or may not havebeen galvanized. I there is usually ahot water outlet l2 that egntends upwardly from the top of the tank and" which-isexternally threaded for the application thereto of a union 13. The anode indicated at M may be formed of magnesium or like metal. that ishigher on theelectro chemical scale than either iron or-zinc.- This anode may have a steel core l 5 -which is embedded therein or otherwise secured thereto and t which extends upwardly from the top of theanode asuitahle distance-so as to extendthrough theoutlet -nipple l-2,part l.5uproviding ananode supporting -rnemhr or meanstwhichcanbefa part-ofthe anode or a separate partsecuredto the anode. ;Part=l'5- is threadedas indicated at [-6. The mounting means embodying the presentinvention consists of .a metallic. basket orcradle having a bottom I] ;and threeeupstanding arms l8 arranged to be, positioned in. close proximity to the-walls ofthe nipple l2 or even rest againstthe walls. The upper ends of these arms are bent outwardlyto proyidefingersfl as. indicated at; [9 which are engageablewiththe top of: theMnippIeQWhen-the" cradlegisinseiftedinto the nipple. 'Within. the cradle or basket thereaareltwo opposedfstars dis e members? Gl nd? which have radially extending, arms that are; preferably sharpened r; min ed q ha ashar ed es-a their ou r ends W DlP-Yid pcnetrating lements for penetrating. 0 th ni pl -th reby establishing;

electrical. contact withthe, nipple The ends of the armsextend through C slots: or --apertures" 2'2 formedin the arms l8 of'the basket; Aligned apertures are. formed in. the bottom I I l oiT- the has ketmorw cradle. and through l the star st or dish d mem ers, respectively.- to 1 receive the core. I5 of J. the anode; Nuts 23 and--24 v are f cn ll d" ti hte ed. i t siilqg 1th top .of hatal k' 3 4 onto the threaded portion [6 above and below outlet nipple without impeding the flow of hot th dished m m rs, respectively. As initially water through the nipple to an undesirable exformed the stars or dished members are so tent. formed that they will enter the nipple l2 loosely Although the preferred form of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 5. However, on screwing includes the fingers is which support the device down the upper nut 23 the dished members will while it is being arranged in the nipple, it will be flattened or straightened somewhat, as illusb appreciated that after the expandibl m rat d n ving the effect of expa d bers 20 and 2| have been expanded into engagethe dished members so that their pointed outer ment with the interior of the nipple, that they ends will be driven into the walls of thenipple- 10 ca support the anode by themselves and th [2. In this manner a good electrical connection invention i therefore d d br d enough t is established between the Core l th ht cover the case Where only expandible means are nuts and is e memb r t t e ippl In the provided wit out any fingers l9 and in such case preferred form of construction-the core [5 is would more dimcult to appl the device flatted as indicated at 25 and the aperture because of not being supported from t end of formed in the bottom ll of the basket is shaped the'nipple, nevertheless it is an arrangement not to fit thls fletted pertleh so that the o heretofore found in the prior art and which is not rotate relatively to the basket while tightenu eful new, and inventive although it does t hlg'the hut In f h of hohstructioh have all the advantages of the preferred form the lower nut 24 merely provides an adjustable of the invention, 1

shoulder on the core against which the dished The dished members 20 and 2| serve the d; members may h Fi h h downwardly on tight tion of preventing inward collapse of thearms (mine the nut However, s illustrated in iii of the cradle when the cradle is being applied 7, a stationary u d be f rme on to the nipple and fter it has been applied to the core at. the base of the threaded portion to 25 the nipple As can b n from Figs. 6 and 7;

seat the lower dishedmembel: In this form the arms 13 cannot move inwardly because the of construction, when the nut 15 tightened down- K dished member or star 2| has been set in place Wardly. h Stars or dlshed mem are and will not be able to be moved upwardly and handled mm m engagement Wlth the Wells therefore; the portions of the arms 3 defining the mpple m h the same manner prevlqus the lower end of the slots 22 will not be able t0- ly dsribed 50.945 o form a good t c 9 move inwardly because of their abutting re1a it: v membe In anode M to the cathode formed by the tank walls mg the devlce to a mpp e as Illustrated m ig the portions above mentioned will be likewise ll through the nipple [2, the dished members 20 m W and 2| and core l5, back to the anode, thus mcapable of Ovmg m ardly because'of their contact with the lower dished membe 2| and COmPIGFmg the electrical clrcultand m dlrec' therefore the dished members serve-tn: purpose tion that Will retard if not completely eliminate of preventing inward collapse of the arms I8 corrosion.

. Various changes may be made in the details When i .deslred t remove and replace of construction without departing from the spirit anode thls 1s hccomphshed b merely .loosenng and scope of the invention as defined by the apthe union I 3 and unscrewing the nut 23. The pended claims, wherein I claim; ar he m b can then. he 1sehedf 1. A combination adapted when placed and fmm th interior. the nipple and the entire arranged in a hot water outlet nipple of a hot r t e recovered T diameter of the anode: water heater to support an anode within the hot s a y Smaller the-lithe nipple l2 so that water heater from the nipple and electrically" can be introduced into thewater heater there.-. connect an anode to the nipple, which omb1.'. through In introducing a replacing, ano nation comprises means providing horizontally in mak ng an initial installation of an anode spaced upwardly extending arms adapted t e in an installed water heater the anode isloweredv next 6 the inner walls of the nipple the armsthrough the hot water outlet until thelaterally providing fin s on the upper em'js thereof" bent ends |9 rest on top of the nipple. Thereadapted t engage one e d of the nipple, a pair after, 9 tlghtehlhg the h the dlshed of opposed humped star-shaped members disbers can be expanded into engagement with the posed Within the arms, the legs of the t nipple. As the basket and the dished members Shaped members extending through tu are of skeleton shape they do not interfere with in the arms of the firstq amed means t be pt the passage of hot. water through the hot water in alignment thereby and t upport t a s outlet. a I against inward collapse, means for flattening Whi1e the anode and its mounting means the star-shaped members to cause the legs therebeen described and illustrated as mounted withof move radially to engage 'mn j in .the hot water outlet from the tank of the t nippl e th combination is a a g d water heater it will be readily understood that th a nipple t thereby establish electrical it may be mounted in the tank many other connection with the nipple, and anode support tubular connection ornipple that either forms am means operatively connected t t firstpart of the installation of the tank or which named means and adapted to support anfahode. has-been P p y pplied to the tank for'pu 2. An anode mounting means comprising a poses-of mounting the anode therein. The varicradle receivable in a conduit and having up; i one parts of the mounting means provide paswardly extending arms adapted to lie vnext to, 78' or openings as can be seen from Fig. 4' 7 the walls of the conduit, said arms providing t' he continued passage of hot water fingers at the upperends thereof adapted to e nipple after the'device'is'applied'to' engage the upper end of the conduit, a pair o i'l This type of open construction 7 opposed dished members disposed within the Po sible-for a deviceembodying' the cradle and having armfportions which-extend invention to be mounted in a hot water through apertures in the arms of the cradle, an

anode providing an upper partially threaded por- REFERENCES CITED Phere bemg apertures m h cradle and The following references are of record in the the dashed members through WhlCh said upper file of this patent:

portion may extend, said portion having a slidable but non-rotatable connection with the 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS cradle, the anode providing an abutment beneath Number Name Date the lowermost of said dished members, and a v1,655,781 Caraocio Jan. 10, 1928 nut on said portion adapted to be tightened 2,367,909 Wanner Jan. 23, 1945 against the dished members to flatten the dished members and expand the dished members into 10 OTHER REFERENCES engagement, with the conduit, The Use Of Magnesium Anodes for the Prevention of Corrosion in Water Heaters and Hot KENNETH T. VANGSNES. Water Storage Tanks, Fig. 6 of supplement, published in 1947 by Dow Chemical Co. 

1. A COMBINATION ADAPTED WHEN PLACED AND ARRANGED IN A HOT WATER OUTLET NIPPLE OF A HOT WATER HEATER TO SUPPORT AN ANODE WITHIN THE HOT WATER HEATER FROM THE NIPPLE AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED AN ANODE TO THE NIPPLE, WHICH COMBINATION COMPRISES MEANS PROVIDING HORIZONTALLY SPACED, UPWARDLY EXTENDING ARMS ADAPTED TO LIE NEXT TO THE INNER WALLS OF THE NIPPLE, THE ARMS PROVIDING FINGERS ON THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ONE END OF THE NIPPLE, A PAIR OF OPPOSED HUMPED STAR-SHAPED MEMBERS DISPOSED WITHIN THE ARMS, THE LEGS OF THE STARSHAPED MEMBERS EXTENDING THROUGH APERTURES IN THE ARMS OF THE FIRST-NAMED MEANS TO BE KEPT 